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Three Years from Now (Assuming I Don’t Win the Lottery or Get Hit by a Bus)
“What will your life be like in three years?” they ask, as if I’ve got some grand master plan drawn up on a whiteboard somewhere. Truth is, I don’t. I barely know what I’m having for lunch tomorrow, let alone what I’ll be doing in 2028. But if the universe doesn’t hurl any major surprises…
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Dreams: Flights of the Soul
You ever wonder what dreams really are? Some people say they’re just the clutter of the day, your brain trying to clean house while you sleep. Science tells us that biologically, dreams are the brain’s way of processing and consolidating information—sifting through memories, ironing out emotions, even rehearsing possible futures. Freud called them the royal…
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Three Days around Geysers: Steam, Fire, and Mordor- Yellowstone Adventure Pt- 3
By a guy who once nearly lost his eyebrows to a campfire and still thinks a Montana burger could feed Belgium. The last Airbnb move we did was to the west of Yellowstone National Park, but still in Idaho. Forty-five minutes to the gate. And that’s American forty-five minutes too— meaning it’s actually forty-five minutes,…
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Racism and the Weight of History
A meditation on hate, memory, and the long road back to each other. There are a lot of things we inherit from the human condition—curiosity, love, wonder, even a bit of mischief. But hate… hate is learned. Passed down like some poisonous heirloom, tucked into the corners of the soul where fear makes its home.…
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Where have all the cowboys gone – Yellowstone adventure Pt- 1
By someone who still can’t figure out why GPS devices always die the moment you need them most. A couple of days ago we landed in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, ready for some sort of frontier adventure. And as far as airport views go, Jackson Hole has got to be one of the most fascinating in…
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Lost in Translation: Misadventures Through France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Beyond
Back when the world was still vaguely sensible and living in England, I decided to take a proper road trip. Not one of those dull “fly somewhere, rent a car” getaways. No, this was the real deal—Hampshire to the Netherlands, with a bit of France, Belgium, and an accidental detour into Germany. Because, as always,…
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The America They Fought For
You look at what’s going on these days, and you have to wonder — not in some tired political way, but deep down, where the real questions live, like— how would the Roosevelts see all this? Theodore — a Republican — who fought for the Square Deal, stood up for fairness when it would’ve been…
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The Last Generation of Mad, Wild, and Free Kids
Growing up, back in my day, when you wanted to talk to a friend, you didn’t send a text or drop a WhatsApp message—you got on your bike, pedaled furiously through the streets, and knocked on their front door like a proper human being. And if they weren’t home? Tough. You’d find some other bunch…
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The Salad Bowl, Mad Cows, and Algebra: Notes from a Salinas Interlude
By someone who kept showing up, and somehow became part of the scenery. During those foggy interludes when life had decided to dropkick me in the face, I found myself back in California—specifically, Salinas. I’d gone there not for the scenery, which is mostly lettuce and a worrying amount of dust, but because it was…
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“Do You Remember?”
By someone who still believes in mornings and the echo of old speeches. Do you remember? Back in October 1962, a young American president from Massachusetts stood his ground against a Soviet titan playing with fire 90 miles off our coast. John F. Kennedy — a Democrat — didn’t blink. He showed them what American…
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Of Bridges, an Ark and Pontoon Boats: An American Story- A trip back to Indy Part-2
By Me, unfortunately. Still in West Virginia—because apparently, I enjoy humidity and odd signage—we decided to go see the New River Gorge Bridge. This is, for those unfamiliar, a giant piece of civil engineering slapped across a massive canyon like a suspension bridge built by someone showing off at a high school reunion. But before…
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The Road to Laguna: Traffic, Hot Dogs, and Mild Madness
By someone who survived a Malibu jam with only a Hyundai and a hotdog memory. Years ago, I decided—because why not—to take a road trip from Salinas to Laguna Beach. And not the usual efficient, soul-crushing, Interstate-5 kind of trip. No. I took the scenic route. Monterey. Big Sur. That glorious, winding stretch of coastline…
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Bumper to Bumper with Buffoons: A Driver’s Rant
By someone who used to be chill, but then you parked like a clown. I’ve been watching people lately—just sitting back and observing the slow-motion car crash we call “society”—and I can’t decide whether the world is spiraling into the abyss, or if I’m simply becoming a grumpier, less tolerant version of myself. It used…
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Saudi Arabia, Sand, and Surprise Barbecue
1998 — Saudi Arabia. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building. Me, a skinny engineering graduate with the wide-eyed optimism of a chipmunk in a nut factory. And let me tell you, if you’ve ever wanted to experience the majestic thrill of absolutely nothing, the desert kingdom delivers in spades. Miles and miles of beige. Not gold.…
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Nostalgia, Travel, and the Myth of the Idaho Girl
By someone who’s been around a bit and still wonders what happened to all the people who vanished quietly. Lately, I’ve been feeling… well, nostalgic. And not in the soft-focus, violins-playing sort of way, but more like someone opened the floodgates in my brain and out came everything from school uniforms to the smell of…
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Superman, Storms, and the Death of Common Sense
by someone who just wanted a quiet life, a decent sandwich, and a planet that hadn’t completely lost the plot. So here I am, staring at a blank screen, attempting to string together a story, something, anything— but all I can think about is how worryingly uninspired I feel these days. Not because life has…
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I Want to Eat Healthy. Honestly. Just… Not Right Now.
By a guy who once ate a full cheesecake standing up in front of the fridge and called it “portion control”. Lately, I’ve been trying—and I use that word with the full weight of British understatement—to eat healthier. Not because I want to be one of those people who owns activewear in non-ironic colors, but…
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Cruising for a Bruising
In 2016, I had what I thought was a brilliant idea: a relaxing cruise. Just me, a big ship, the open sea, and perhaps a few dolphins joyfully following along as I reclined on the deck, engrossed in a Tom Clancy novel. I pictured people around me, civilized and happy, united by the common goal…
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Georgie: The Housemate Who Never Blinks
Living with Georgie is always having company—even when you didn’t ask for it. Not the spooky, lurking-in-the-shadows kind of company, but a small, fluffy dog with trust issues who seems convinced the world might fall apart if he’s not glued to your side. A little dramatic? Absolutely. He’s got the emotional range of a Broadway…
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Where the Past Walks Beside Us on Independence Day
Today as the sun comes up over in Richmond, Virginia— I find myself thinking about this city and its past. Richmond is not afraid to show its history. It carries it right out in the open, where you can see it, feel it, with the scars laid bare. It’s not hidden or polished. It’s in…
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When Cool Peaked and Never Came Back
GenX or as I’d like to say it, Gen Us— wasn’t just a generation—it was an 18-wheeler doing a burnout in the parking lot of history while Rock Ballads blasted through the tape deck. It was loud, proud, and occasionally covered in glitter and neon zebra print. Everybody—and I mean everybody—was there. Michael Jackson was…
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How I Accidentally Joined the Railway and Dodged a Missile Company
by someone who wore boat shoes to a railway interview Back in the early 2000s—when Nokia was king and broadband meant waiting three hours to download one photo of a car—I returned to England after a stint abroad. I had a young family, a head full of vague responsibilities, and a sudden awareness that baby…
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Richmond is Melting and So Am I
By a man who thought Virginia summers were supposed to be charming and full of fireflies, not the actual fires of hell. It is currently 102°F in Richmond, Virginia. That’s not a heatwave—that’s the sun filing a restraining order against us for getting too close. The weather app isn’t even pretending anymore. It just says…